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The Parallel extension for Pi adds web_search and web_fetch tools to your Pi agent, backed by the Parallel Search and Extract APIs. Once configured, any requests to search the web or fetch a webpage will automatically use Parallel.
Pi extension running in the terminal with Parallel-powered web_search and web_fetch tools
Why use Parallel tools?
  • More accurate and relevant search results
  • Intelligent content extraction that understands page structure
  • Extended excerpts optimized for LLM context windows
  • Faster and more reliable than built-in alternatives

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Setup

1

Install the extension

Install @parallel-web/pi-extension from npm:
2

Authenticate

Choose one of the following authentication methods:Option A: Parallel OAuth login (recommended)Inside Pi, run:
This opens your browser for Parallel OAuth. On success, the API key is stored in Pi’s auth store under the parallel provider key.If automatic callback capture does not complete, the extension falls back to asking you to paste the callback URL.Option B: Environment variable
Get your API key at platform.parallel.ai.Stored Pi auth is preferred over PARALLEL_API_KEY if both exist.

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Tools and commands

Once configured, Pi gains two Parallel-powered tools and a login command: Any subsequent requests to search the web or fetch a webpage will automatically use these tools.

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Notes

  • The extension uses the parallel-web TypeScript SDK directly.
  • Search requests use Parallel SDK basic mode.
  • The extension modifies Pi’s system prompt so that grounding via web search is preferred over guessing when applicable.

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